![]() ![]() Harrisburg originally nixed the idea of rebuilding, instead proposing that the ruins be used as a tourist attraction to show the cruel and humbling power of nature. Causer said upon returning from viewing the devastation.īut the price tag for the rebuild was steep – $45 million. It’s the biggest tourist attraction in the whole region,” Mr. In the wake of the collapse, State Representative Martin Causer vowed every effort would be made to rebuild. With a direct hit to the bridge’s gut, only six towers to the south and three towers to the north remained standing. The tornado lifted the center towers from their ancient, rusted anchor bolts, slamming the twisted towers to the valley floor. The tornado smashed dead- center into the viaduct, taking out 11 of 20 towers and 1,200 feet of the span. Brode’s project superintendent Floyd Quillin ordered his workers to leave the bridge and get out before the storms hit.Īt 3:00, a mile west of the bridge, an F-1 tornado packing winds of 90 miles-per-hour touched down, snaking its way through the Kinzua Valley toward the bridge. of Newcomerstown, Ohio, a national leader in railroad bridge repair, was hired to begin a $10.8 million fix.īrode’s crew was hard at work on the afternoon of July 21, 2003, when a band of severe storms began thundering across the Allegheny National Forest. “Emergency repair of this structure is no easy task, but all parties involved are fully committed to returning foot and rail traffic to this historic landmark and popular tourist attraction.” ![]() “Our analyses showed bridge deterioration worse than originally estimated,” said then DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis. The bridge was closed, and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) ordered an inspection. Sections of the bridge towers were rusting through, making it too dangerous to cross. In the summer of 2002, it became obvious something was seriously wrong. ![]()
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